Distribution device of a telecommunications system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a distribution device of a telecommunications system. Distribution devices of this type have at least one contact element, the or each contact element having at least two contact springs. According to the invention, the or each contact element has a modular structure in such a way that the configuration of the or each contact element can be modified by modifying the modular structure.

This National stage application claims the benefit of InternationalApplication No. PCT/EP03/06937, filed on Jun. 30, 2003, which claims thebenefit of German Patent Application No. 10232444.1, filed on Jul. 17,2002, and which was not published in the English language under PCTArticle 21(2).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a distribution device of a telecommunicationssystem.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Distribution devices of a telecommunications system are sufficientlyknown from the prior art. For example, DE 199 12 522 C2 shows adistribution device of a telecommunications system. The distributiondevice disclosed there is a so-called distribution block, in which anumber of distribution strips are arranged one above the other in asandwich-like manner. Each distribution strip, also known as a contactstrip, comprises a number of distribution elements, also known ascontact elements. According to the prior art, when considering thecontact elements, a distinction is made between so-called disconnectionelements and so-called switching elements, depending on whether contactsprings of the contact elements lie against one another or aredisconnected from one another.

When the term distribution devices is used below, it is intended for thepurposes of the invention that this can mean both a distribution blockand a distribution strip. It is also possible for the purposes of theinvention for a number of distribution blocks to be interconnected andform a distribution device.

According to the prior art, distribution strips with differentlyconfigured contact elements are used for constructing distributionblocks. According to the prior art, the contact elements cannot bemodified with respect to their configuration. Therefore, according tothe prior art, for special applications it is necessary to providedifferent distribution strips. Furthermore, the flexibility of suchdistribution strips and distribution blocks made up of them is low.

Against this background, the present invention is based on the problemof providing a novel distribution device of a telecommunications system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred developments of the invention are provided by the detaileddescription which follows. Exemplary embodiments are explained in moredetail on the basis of the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a distribution device of a telecommunications systemaccording to the prior art in a perspective side view,

FIG. 2 shows a contact element according to the prior art for thedistribution device of FIG. 1 in a schematized representation,

FIG. 3 shows a further contact element according to the prior art forthe distribution device of FIG. 1 in a schematized representation,

FIG. 4 shows a further contact element according to the prior art forthe distribution device of FIG. 1 in a schematized representation,

FIG. 5 shows a further contact element according to the prior art forthe distribution device of FIG. 1 in a schematized representation,

FIG. 6 shows a first contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 7 shows a second contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 8 shows a third contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 9 shows a fourth contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 10 shows a fifth contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 11 shows a sixth contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 12 shows a seventh contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 13 shows an eighth contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 14 shows a ninth contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 15 shows a further contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 16 shows a further contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 17 shows a further contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention,

FIG. 18 shows a further contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention, and

FIG. 19 shows a further contact element for a distribution device of atelecommunications system as provided by the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a distribution block 20 according to the prior art. Thedistribution block 20 shown there has a carrier part 21, with plate-likewire guides 22 and distribution strips 23, which are also referred to ascontact strips, being arranged in the carrier part 21 one above theother in a sandwich-like manner. The carrier part 21 is also referred toas a receiving trough. The wire guides 22 have arcuately curved wireguiding channels 24, in which incoming and outgoing lines can be guided.The distribution strips 23 are provided on one side with insulationpiercing connecting devices 25, in the clamping slots of which theincoming and outgoing lines can be pressed in with the aid of a tool tomake contact. Each distribution strip 23 is formed by a number ofcontact elements 26, the insulation piercing connecting devices 25acting on the contact elements 26. In the interior, the contact elements26 bear contact springs. Depending on whether the contact springs of thecontact elements 26 lie against one another or are disconnected from oneanother, the contact elements are referred to as disconnection elementsor switching elements. In particular whenever the distribution block 20is formed by distribution strips 23 with their contact elements 26formed as disconnection elements, a disconnector 27 can be pushed infrom the front side of the distribution block 20 to allow thedisconnection elements to be interrupted if need be. FIG. 1 also shows aprotection magazine 28, which can be pushed into the carrier part 21from the side. It can also be pushed into the carrier part from therear. According to the prior art, each distribution strip 23 ispreferably assigned a protection magazine 28, in order to protect thecontact elements 26 of the distribution strip 23 from overcurrent and/orovervoltage. Similarly, FIG. 1 shows a cable connector 29, which canlikewise be pushed into the carrier part 21 of the distribution block 20from the side. If need be, a cable connector 29 of this type, on which aprefabricated cable 30 acts, can be assigned to each of the distributionstrips 23 in order to connect the contact elements 26 of thecorresponding distribution strip 23 for example to a distribution stripof another distribution block.

As already mentioned, the distribution strips 23 according to the priorart are made up of preferably eight or ten contact elements 26. However,distribution strips 23 formed by four or five contact elements 26 mayalso be used. According to the prior art, the contact elements 26 arepreconfigured components which cannot be modified with regard to theirconfiguration.

FIGS. 2 to 5 show a total of four contact elements 31, 32, 33 and 34according to the prior art. The contact element 31 according to FIG. 2has two contact springs 35 and 36, which touch each other. The contactelement 31 accordingly comprises a disconnection element. The contactelement 32 of FIG. 3 also comprises a disconnection element, the contactsprings 35, 36 of which touch each other. As a difference from FIG. 2,however, in the case of the contact element 32 of FIG. 3 the contactspring 35 is assigned a so-called 3-point protective contact, in orderthat, if need be, a protective element of the protection magazine 28acting as an overvoltage protection can be connected to the contactelement 32.

FIG. 4 shows a contact element 33, the contact springs 35 and 36 ofwhich do not touch each other. The contact element 33 represented therecomprises a switching element. The contact springs 35 and 36 of thecontact element 33 are assigned so-called 5-point protective contacts 38and 39. The contact element 33 of FIG. 4 comprises open 5-pointprotective contacts 38, 39, which do not touch each other and form aso-called forced protection. In the case of the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 5, on the other hand, the 5-point protective contacts 38, 39 of thecontact element 34 touch one another. The contact element 34 of FIG. 5therefore comprises a disconnection element. If need be, a 5-pointprotective element of the protection magazine 28 acting as overvoltageprotection and overcurrent protection can be connected to the respectivecontact element by means of the 5-point protective contacts 38 and 39.

The contact elements 31, 32, 33 and 34 according to the prior art thatare represented in FIGS. 2 to 5 comprise preconfigured contact elements.This means that these contact elements are formed either as switchingelements or as disconnection elements. Furthermore, they arepreconfigured either with a 3-point protective contact or with 5-pointprotective contacts. To cater for the respective application, it istherefore necessary to keep different distribution strips available,made up of contact elements of this type. Furthermore, distributionstrips formed from contact elements of this type cannot be flexiblyreconfigured.

To obviate the above disadvantages of the prior art, the inventionproposes a distribution device for a telecommunications system withcontact elements of a modular structure. The configuration of therespective contact element can be modified by modifying the modularstructure of the contact elements. This is represented in FIGS. 6 to 19.

For instance, FIG. 6 shows a contact element 40 which comprises threecontact springs 41, 42, 43. The two lower contact springs 42, 43 of thecontact element 40 form a functional unit and lie against one another.

However, the two contact springs 42, 43 do not touch the upper contactspring 41. The contact element 40 according to FIG. 6 accordingly formsa so-called switching element. The contact element 40 of FIG. 6 alsoforms a basic element 44 for the purposes of the invention. It hasinputs 45, to connect incoming or outgoing lines, and also outputs 46,to allow further modules, so-called supplementary modules, to beconnected to the basic module 44.

In the case of the contact element 47 represented in FIG. 7, asupplementary module 48 is connected to the basic module 44. Thesupplementary module 48 comprises a short-circuit module. Therefore, afirst conductor element 49 of the supplementary module 48 acts on thecontact spring 41 and a second conductor element 50 of the supplementarymodule 48 acts on the contact spring 43. The two conductor elements 49,50 are short-circuited by means of a conductor element 51. With the aidof the supplementary module 48, the basic module 44 formed or configuredas a switching element can accordingly be reconfigured into adisconnection element.

As FIG. 7 further reveals, the supplementary module 48 also has inputs45 a and outputs 46 a. The supplementary module 48 can be connected viathe inputs 45 a to the outputs 46 of the basic module 44. Furthersupplementary modules can be connected to the supplementary module 48via its outputs 46 a.

FIG. 8 shows a contact element 52, comprising the basic module 44 withthe first supplementary module 48 added on and comprising a secondsupplementary module 53. The second supplementary module 53 is connectedby its inputs 45 a to the outputs 46 a of the first supplementary module48. The supplementary module 53 is formed as a cable module. With theaid of the second supplementary module 53 formed as a cable module, thedisconnection element formed by the basic module 44 and the firstsupplementary module 48 can be connected to another contact element (notrepresented). For this purpose, a cable 55 or a terminal is connected toa conductor element 54 of the supplementary module 53. It is accordinglypossible with the aid of the invention not only to reconfigure thecontact element 40 formed as a switching element into a contact element47 formed as a disconnection element but rather it is also possible as aresult of the modular structure according to the invention to integrateinto a contact element 52 the function of the cable connector 29, whichaccording to the prior art is formed as a separate subassembly. Thisalso significantly increases the flexibility of the distribution deviceaccording to the invention and at the same time reduces the installationtime for the installation engineer.

The conductor elements 49, 50, 51 and 54 of the supplementary modulesmay be formed as conductor tracks, electrical conductors in the form ofwires or metal sheets or else as contact springs. The actualconfiguration of the conductor elements 49, 50, 51 and 54 is at thediscretion of the person skilled in the art.

FIG. 9 shows a contact element 56, in the case of which a thirdsupplementary module 57 is arranged between the basic module 44 and thefirst supplementary module 48. The third supplementary module 57 isconnected via its inputs 45 a to the outputs 46 of the basic module 44and via its outputs 46 a to the inputs 45 a of the first supplementarymodule 48. The third supplementary module 57 is formed as a so-calledovervoltage protection module. It accordingly protects the disconnectionelement formed by means of the basic module 44 and the firstsupplementary module 48 from overvoltages acting on it. In this way, a3-point protection can be integrated into the contact element 56.According to the prior art, a separately formed protection magazine wasrequired for this.

In the same way, a 2-point protection can be integrated into adisconnection element formed by the basic module 44 and the firstsupplementary module 48. For this purpose, a supplementary module 58configured as an overcurrent protection module is arranged between thebasic module 44 and the first supplementary module 48. In this way, acontact element 59 as represented in FIG. 10 is created.

FIG. 11 shows a contact element 60, in the case of which both thesupplementary module 57, formed as an overvoltage protection module, andthe supplementary module 58, formed as an overcurrent protection module,are connected between the basic module 44 and the first supplementarymodule 48. The contact element 60 of FIG. 11 accordingly comprises adisconnection element in which there is integrated a combinedovervoltage protection and overcurrent protection, and consequently aso-called 5-point protection.

In the case of the contact element 61 of FIG. 12, a total of threefurther supplementary modules are positioned between the basic module 44and the first supplementary module 48, which together form adisconnection element. The further supplementary modules concerned hereare the supplementary module 58, formed as an overcurrent protectionmodule, the supplementary module 57, formed as an overvoltage protectionmodule, and the supplementary module 53, formed as a cable module. Inthis way, the basic module 44 can accordingly be reconfigured in such away that the basic module 44 formed as a switching element can be turnedinto a disconnection element formed as a disconnection element withintegrated 5-point protection and also an integrated cable connector.FIG. 13 shows a contact element 62, which is constructed in principle inthe same way as the contact element 60 of FIG. 11. In addition to thesupplementary module 57, formed as an overvoltage protection module, andthe supplementary module 58, formed as an overcurrent protection module,there is, however, a further supplementary module 63 arranged betweenthe basic module 44 and the first supplementary module 48. The furthersupplementary module 63 is formed in the same way as the supplementarymodule 57 as an overvoltage protection module. With the aid of thesupplementary module 57, basic protection against overvoltages isensured. The further supplementary module 63, on the other hand, allowssophisticated protection against overvoltages.

FIG. 14 shows a contact element 64, comprising the basic module 44 and afurther supplementary module 65, which is formed as a so-calledshort-circuit module or bridging module and acts on the inputs 45 of thebasic module 44. With the aid of the supplementary module 65, formed asa short-circuit module, a reconfiguration or conversion of the contactelement 64 is possible without interruption on the subscriber side ofthe contact element. The supplementary module 65, formed as ashort-circuit module or bridging module, accordingly has terminalcontacts, which act in the inputs 45 of the basic module 44.

FIG. 15 shows the contact element 47, formed by the basic module 44 andthe first supplementary module 48 and acting as a disconnection element,with a testing unit 66 pushed into the basic module 44. The testing unit66 presses with a connector 67 between the two contact springs 42, 43 ofthe basic module 44. In this way, test signals can be introduced intothe contact element 47 or measuring signals can be extracted from it bymeans of conductor tracks running along the connector 67. In the sameway, a protection module can be pushed into the basic module 44 insteadof the testing unit 66.

FIG. 16 shows the contact element 47 according to FIG. 7 with adisconnector 68. The disconnector 68 may be formed in the way known fromthe prior art. It is therefore possible, if need be, to disconnect thecontact springs 42, 43 of the basic module 44 and decouple a subscriberfrom a telecommunications system.

FIG. 17 shows a contact element 69, comprising the basic module 44 and afurther supplementary module 70, which is connected to the basic module44 and is formed here as a so-called xDSL splitter. It is accordinglypossible by selection of the widest variety of supplementary modules toadapt or reconfigure contact elements subsequently and flexibly fordifferent intended uses as provided by the invention. The supplementarymodule 70, formed as an xDSL splitter, also acts via inputs 45 a on theoutputs 46 of the basic module 44, it being possible for furthersupplementary modules to be connected to outputs 46 a of thesupplementary module 70.

At this stage it should be pointed out that, when studying the presentinvention, it is self-evident to the person skilled in the art referredto here that the supplementary modules shown in FIGS. 6 to 17 can, ifappropriate, also be combined to form a new supplementary module. Forinstance, FIG. 18 shows a contact element 71 in the case of which asupplementary module 72 is connected to the basic module 44 according toFIG. 6. The supplementary module 72 according to FIG. 18 combines thefunctions of the supplementary modules 57 and 58 according to FIGS. 9and 10. The supplementary module 72 accordingly comprises a combinedovervoltage protection and overcurrent protection.

FIG. 19 shows a contact element 73 which is formed by the basic module44 and a supplementary module 74, the supplementary module 74 combiningthe functions of the supplementary modules 48 and 53 of FIG. 8 with oneanother.

The invention accordingly proposes a distribution device of atelecommunications system with contact elements of a modular structure,it being possible for the modular structure to be determined by a basicmodule and various supplementary modules. It is possible by theselection of the various supplementary modules to reconfigure a contactelement freely for a desired intended use. In addition, functions of acable connector and a protection magazine can be integrated into thecontact element. Further functions can also be integrated into a contactelement. As FIGS. 6 to 19 reveal, the basic module and the respectivesupplementary modules are connected in series with one another andaccordingly combined with one another in series connection. Subsequentconversion of a distribution device constructed in such a way isaccordingly possible readily and with little effort. It is also possibleto choose whether a distribution device is prefabricated by themanufacturer for a specific application or whether the customer himselfperforms necessary modifications on the distribution device.

The connection of the basic module 44 to the or each supplementarymodule 48, 53, 57, 58, 63, 65, 70, 72 and 74 takes place via the inputs45, 45 a and outputs 46, 46 a of the basic module and the supplementarymodule. The connection between the outputs 46 and inputs 45 a andbetween the outputs 46 a and inputs 45 a preferably takes place by meansof plug-in connections. Plug-in connections can be established in asimple manner by plugging in and broken in a simple manner by pullingout. This allows the or each plug-in connection to be configured usingthe PC connector technique, board-to-board connector technique or RS232connector technique. The grounding terminal provided by the RS232connector technique can be used here for shielding purposes. Theselection of a suitable plug-in connection or a suitable connector is atthe discretion of the person skilled in the art referred to here.

1. A distribution device of a telecommunications system, with at leastone contact element, the contact element having at least two contactsprings, wherein a) the contact element has a modular structure in sucha way that the configuration of the contact element can be modified bymodifying the modular structure, b) the contact element has a basicmodule, the basic module having the contact springs, c) it beingpossible to connect one or more supplementary modules to the basicmodule, the combination of the basic module with the supplementarymodule allowing the configuration of the respective contact element tobe modified.
 2. The distribution device as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe supplementary modules and the basic module can be combined with oneanother in series connection.
 3. The distribution device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the configuration of the respective contact element isdetermined by selection of the supplementary module the number ofsupplementary modules or the sequence of the supplementary modules. 4.The distribution device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the basic modulehas inputs and outputs assigned to the contact springs.
 5. Thedistribution device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementarymodules have inputs and outputs.
 6. The distribution device as claimedin claim 4, wherein, for a connection of one or more supplementarymodules to the basic module, the inputs of one supplementary moduleengage in outputs of the basic module or in outputs of anothersupplementary module, these connections between the inputs and theoutputs being configured using a connector technique.